Annemarie Lucas of Animal Precinct: Asked about the value of honoring the news media who covered Hurricane Katrina, she said, "It became very apparent during the Katrina disaster that people weren't going to leave their animals behind. I have five dogs and eight cats...I certainly wouldn't leave them. It's time the country realized that they are really a part of our families, and we have to cherish them and treat them so."
Kelly Bishop of Gilmore Girls: On her reaction to being invited to present awards at the Genesis Awards: "I've known Gretchen Wyler forever, and I'm a huge animal advocate. It's so marvelous to be here. It's nice to honor the people who are really doing something about animal welfare and letting the whole world know what's going on. I'm delighted...I have a couple of cats and a dog. I'd like to have more, but I travel a lot, and it's not fair to leave my husband with a menagerie."
Steve Valentine of Crossing Jordan: "I think animal abuse is often the result of the way a person is raised. It's a cultural thing. I think education is very important, teaching compassion. When I was young, we had rabbits and budgies and cats and dogs...The fact that the Genesis Awards are televised brings awareness to the issues, and there are, sadly, so many issues. But when you get the people behind you, that's when you have the power."
James Cromwell of Babe: Cromwell remarked that he loves animals of all types and was impressed while working with them on the movie Babe. "There were 48 pigs in the first Babe and 105 in the second one. There were also all of the sheep and the ducks and the dogs and the cats. It was wonderful...The Babe pigs start filming at seven weeks old. I'm not sure you could do much with a seven-week-old human. But these pigs were able to go up the stairs, go up on a chair, pick up a clock in their mouths, and climb back down and then make their way through a room."
Shelley Morrison of Will & Grace: "The Genesis Awards are amazing; they educate people to spay and neuter their animals and to adopt them from shelters. Animals are our teachers. If we don't honor the animals, we'll never honor one another."
Constance Zimmer of In Justice and Entourage: "I think the Genesis Awards are very important. They make people aware of issues that they may not necessarily have read about, not just in the U.S., but around the world. Anytime I read anything about cruelty to animals, it makes me want to do something about it. I feel like I need to do whatever I can to make other people aware." Zimmer added that all of the pets she's ever had have come from shelters.
Sara Rue of Less Than Perfect: "I gave money to The HSUS last year after seeing images of Hurricane Katrina. There are creatures in this world who cannot do anything for themselves. It's really important not to forget about them and about all the unconditional love they give."
Moby, Musician/Composer: "We live in a culture that glorifies public figures. If you are a public figure, the only decent thing is to raise awareness about issues like this."
Amy Smart of Just Friends: Smart, who presented the award for Outstanding Feature Film, said she made it a point to weave the Genesis Awards into her busy schedule. "I woke up this morning, and I had my cat sitting on me, and I was like, 'I do these things for you.' I think there's something so precious and spiritual about animals. We can't live without them...Animals kind of let peoples' guards down. You can tell a lot about somebody by the way they interact with animals."
Ben Stein of Son of the Mask and Win Ben Stein's Money: "I have two big dogs, two very large cats, and two regular-sized cats. Dogs and cats and all the animals have as much feelings as humans do. I love their warm, furry goodness; they're forgiving and generous...If you treat them well, it proves you're good people." Of the Genesis Awards, he added, "This is the way Hollywood shows that it cares about something other than itself."
Jorja Fox of CSI: "I've always loved animals. I grew up in a very small town...Grandma was a huge lover of animals, even crabs and snakes and things that a lot of people would shy away from. She taught me a real reverence for everything that is on the planet."
Jennifer Aspen of Rodney: "These awards really get people to know how it works on this planet. The more we know about the food we eat, the clothes we wear...we can make choices. My mother was a herpetologist. I've always been a part of animals and nature. It all works together; we're not here just tap-dancing by ourselves."
Emily Deschanel of Bones: Deschanel and her sister Zooey presented the award for Outstanding Animated Feature Film to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Emily said this movie is the one she chose to see on her birthday. "We've been big fans of Wallace & Gromit films," she said. "And my sister and I just really like saying 'were-rabbit.' Were-rabbit, were-rabbit." Deschanel said the Genesis Awards are a powerful way to illuminate animal rights issues. "As humans, we're animals as well," she said. "We may have higher intelligence, but look at what we're doing with it—destroying the earth. Awareness is such an important aspect of animal rights."
Zooey Deschanel of Failure to Launch: Zooey Deschanel—who also enjoyed saying "were-rabbit" frequently during the Genesis Awards—said she's a great animal lover. "I'm allergic to dogs and cats, but I love them from afar," she said. "We're probably going to find out that animals are smarter than us."
Updated Feb. 21, 2007
